Chamberlain Puts WiFi into DIY Home Automation Garage Door Opener

The latest DIY home automation gadget will soon support Apple HomeKit and Siri voice commands.

When it comes to what you should automate in the home, people often forget the garage. It’s the place where you keep trashcans, paint cans and old Christmas decorations. And everything is packed tightly, so you can wedge that car into its appropriate space each night.

However, it’s also an entry point to your home—one that often gets left open. Besides, why should you neglect adding something high-tech to this space when it’s so darn easy? Chamberlain has a great solution for the garage, the WiFi Garage Door Opener with MyQ Smartphone Control.

That mouthful is actually a DIY home automation system that’s easy to control and install. It’s actually the first Chamberlain opener to include WiFi, so all you need is your existing home network. Once connected, you can operate everything using the free Chamberlain MyQ Smartphone app.

That app can provide a real-time peek at whether or not the garage door is opened or closed. It can even send alerts about the garage door’s status and provide the option to open or close it from anywhere in the world, all via a smartphone.

If you’re looking to add onto that DIY home automation system sometime in the near future, know that this solution currently works with products from Nest and Wink. Chamberlain is planning to add support for SmartThings and Apple HomeKit to the device sometime this year. The latter means you’ll be able to control your garage by bossing around Siri!

According to Chamberlain, the MyQ Garage DIY home automation product can add WiFi connectivity and smartphone control to nearly every brand of garage door opener built after 1993. Other features include built-in battery power for backup, a powerful DC motor, and the option to link it to your car’s HomeLink button.

“Garage door technology has come an impressively long way since many homeowners’ doors were installed 10 or 15 years ago, and Chamberlain is leading the way in bringing these advances into the home,” said Kenny Ramsey, vice president of marketing at Chamberlain. “WiFi built into the garage door opener creates a highly intelligent device, and our advanced security technology and processes keep people safe and informed about what’s happening with their home and family activity, wherever they are.”

Chamberlain is selling the WiFi Garage Door Opener with MyQ Smartphone Control now, starting at $248. (Available on Amazon)

If you already have a garage door opener you like, but want to add smart control to it, try this.